Brake-beam.



w. E, FOWLE J1. BRAKE BEAM;

AP'PLIOAYTIAON mum 001.21, 1 912.

, Patented M il-18,1913.

lini UNITED STATES PATENT voini ro ,ZAHW-ILIJIAM E. FOWLER, JR, or HAMMOND, mmrm; Assrenon 'ro SIMPLE): RAILWAY APPLIANCE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A' CORPORATION ILLINOIS.

BRAKE-BEAM.

. To all whom it may concern I l My invention relates to brake beams and" has particular reference to a cast steel beam of novel construct-ion.

An object- 1n the: manufacture of brake beams at the present t1me1s to produce a beam which shall have extreme stiffness and absence of deflection at the rated; load of such beam. For instance, the railroads require that brake beams for passenger service shall withstand a direct load of 44,000 lbs.,

with less than l th of an inch deflection and no appreciable permanent set. The fundamental reason for this is to insure the eiliciency of-the air brakes to provide the required bralre pressure, This object-may, of course, be secured in extremely heavy beams but it is desirable to secure the results in as light a beam as possible both in the interest of economy and 1n dead welght car-.

less insecurely applied to the ends of the truss. I

In the brake beam shown hereln I have combined the advantages. of a truss beam with its light weightand the rigidity of a cast beam. The form of the different parts follows closely the b,uiltup trussed beam inasmuch as that. form hasbeen found in service to be extremely efficient. For instance. the compression member is of channel-shape, wider at the middle than toward the ends, thejtension member is a round rod and the ends where the members are 1o1ned are made hollow in the interest of lessened weight.

Another advantage secured by the hollow. end construction isin t-hat the-- trunnions.

to which the brake heads are applied may beturned in'a lathg witliout loss'- of time I Specification of Letters Patei11:.- Patented Mar, 18, 1913; Application filed October 21, "1912. Serial No. 726,901.

required in centering the trunnion. This is accomphshed by 'PIOVlClIIlg a squared or other non-circular opening within which a false center or centering plug may be'temporarily placed. '1

The invention will be morerea'dily' understood by reference to the accompanying -drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a. side elevation of a brake bean constructed in accordance with my'invention, aiportion of one end being-broken away to show the hollowinterior; Fig. 2 is a bottom'plan View; Fig. 3 is an endelevat 1on;'F1g; at is a transverse section on'the line 44 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a partial end elevation showing the centering plug' removed; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1, and Fig; 7 is a perspective view of the centering plug.

Referring more particularly to the draw ings it will be seen that my novel beam is composed of a channel compression member 10, having webs 11 uniting the flanges'of the channel at'point-s intermediate the ends.

This adds needed strength at the points where .such ties are applied. In tests to destruction it will befound that deflection occurs at or about the point 11, the indication of suchdeflection being in the displacement of the depending flanges. The channel compression member terminates at, each end in the downwardly projecting flanges 12. which unite with the round tension memher 13 ,at its ends, the construction being in the form of a box having open ends. The

trunnions 14 are integral with the box ends and are provided with a locking "groove 15 By reference to Figs. 2 and .3 it will; be 'seen that the channel compression therein.

member istapered from the center toward each end,in order to'provide-the required strength. The strut 1 6 is integrallysecured to the compression and tension. members and may be of any preferred form, that shownproviding the required strength and rigidity. The strut is in the form of two standards the opening'therebetween accom-. modating the brake lever. These standards at their upper ends are .in the, form of PS,

whereas the lower portions are enlarged slightly at points opposite the brake lever bolt openings 18.

The end trunnions, as shown, are hollow,

the opening19 th'erethrough being squared or non-circular in outline. This accomplishes the double purpose of lessening Weight and 'provi'ding'a seat for a false center or centering plug 20, having a lathe I spindle recess 21 therein. After the casting has been removed fromthe sand and properly cleaned, the centering lugs are placed in the opening and the bea ln placed in the lathe. The trunnions maythus be easily turned ithout the delay of locating the 1'!) center, Which'isnecessary in a beam. having solid end ItIllIlIllOIlS. q

The device as shown has been found to be practical ...in service and has minimum eight' for. maximum strength and rigidity. Modifications may be made in theexact f constructionfall Without departing from thespirit of my inventiom I claim: 1 1. A brake beam composed of a channel 20,con 1pression memberya tension member and hollow end trunnions, the parts. being formed -in a single casting, substantially as described. n

2. A brake beam composed of a channel 25 compression member, around rod tension ,anember and hollow end trunnions, the parts being formed in a single casting, substantially as described.

.3. A brake beam composed of'a channel 'com'pression member,'rpund tension member and end.trunnions, all formed in a single compression member, a round rod tension l'neniber and end trunnions all formed in a single casting, the structure being boxshaped at the junction of the tension and compression members, substantially as de- '40 scribed.

5. A brake beam composed of'a' channel compression member, a tension member, a

strut and end .trunnions, all formed in a n c n n o single casting, said trunnions havlng a non;

circular axial recess whereby to eliminate 'Weight and provide for a centering plug,

substantially as described.

6. A brake beam composed of a channel compression member,atension. member and a middle strut, said channel tapering 1n width from the middleto the ends, 'the flanges of the channel being tied together by a eb-at points intermediate the ends, substantially as described.

WILLIAM E. FoWLEnJ Vitnesses CHAS. V. .lllURRAY, T. D. BUTLER. 

